[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 181 (Tuesday, September 18, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57579-57580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22939]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLCAC09000 L11500000.JP0000]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan Amendment 
for the Southern Diablo Mountain Range and Central Coast of California 
and Associated Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
Hollister Field Office, Hollister, California intends to prepare a 
Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment for the Southern Diablo 
Mountain Range and Central Coast of California RMP with an associated 
Environmental Assessment (EA) to address the Panoche-Coalinga Area of 
Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and by this notice is announcing 
the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and 
identify issues.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the RMP 
amendment and associated EA. Comments on issues may be submitted in 
writing until 30 days after the date of this notice in the Federal 
Register. The date(s) and location(s) of any scoping meetings will be 
announced at least 15 days in advance through the local news media, 
newspapers and the BLM Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/ca/hollister. In 
order to be included in the analysis, all comments must be received 
prior to the close of the 30-day scoping period or 15 days after the 
last public meeting, whichever is later. We will provide additional 
opportunities for public participation as appropriate.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria 
related to the RMP amendment EA by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/hollister.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 831-630-5055.
     Mail: Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Court, 
Hollister, CA 95023.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the 
Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: And/or to have your name added to our 
mailing list, contact Sky Murphy, telephone 831-630-5039; address (see 
ADDRESSES above); email [email protected]. Persons who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above 
individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours 
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above 
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM approved the Record of Decision 
(ROD) for the RMP for the Southern Diablo Mountain Range and Central 
Coast of California in 2007. The ROD calls for

[[Page 57580]]

detailed ACEC management plans to identify site-specific projects, as 
well as implementation strategies to address complex natural and 
cultural resource management issues. Accordingly, the BLM is preparing 
an RMP amendment/EA to address the Panoche-Coalinga ACEC. The RMP 
amendment will incorporate relevant new information and program 
guidance or policies developed since the 2007 ROD.
    The planning area is located in southern San Benito and western 
Fresno counties and encompasses approximately 56,000 acres of public 
land. The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine 
relevant issues that will inform the scope of the environmental 
analysis, including alternatives, and guide the planning process. 
Preliminary issues for the plan amendment area have been identified by 
the BLM; Federal, State, and local agencies; and other stakeholders. 
The issues include designation and management of special areas such as 
ACECs and Research Natural Areas, special status species recovery, 
recreation management, energy development, livestock grazing, fire 
management, and lands available for disposal or potential acquisition.
    Preliminary planning criteria include:
    1. Compliance with FLPMA, NEPA, and all other applicable laws;
    2. Coordination with local and county governments for analysis of 
economic and social impacts;
    3. Government-to-government consultation with federally recognized 
tribes;
    4. Designation of motorized use areas and routes;
    5. Compliance with Rangeland Health Standards and Guidelines; and
    6. Consideration of cost effectiveness of proposed actions and 
alternatives.
    You may submit comments on issues and planning criteria in writing 
to the BLM at any public scoping meeting, or you may submit them to the 
BLM using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section above. To 
be most helpful, you should submit comments by the close of the 30-day 
scoping period or within 15 days after the last public meeting, 
whichever is later.
    The BLM will provide opportunities for public participation as 
required by NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). 
Information about historic and cultural resources within the area 
potentially affected by the proposed action will assist the BLM in 
identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources in the context of 
NEPA and the NHPA.
    The BLM will consult with Indian tribes on a government-to-
government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other 
policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and 
potential impacts to cultural resources, will be given due 
consideration. Federal, State, and local agencies, along with tribes 
and other stakeholders that may be interested in or affected by the 
proposed action that the BLM is evaluating, are invited to participate 
in the scoping process and, if eligible, may request or be requested by 
the BLM to participate in the development of the environmental analysis 
as a cooperating agency.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    The BLM will evaluate identified issues to be addressed in the 
plan, and will place them into one of three categories:
    1. Issues to be resolved in the plan amendment;
    2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action; 
or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan amendment.
    The BLM will provide an explanation in the EA as to why an issue 
was placed in category two or three. The public is also encouraged to 
help identify any management questions and concerns that should be 
addressed in the plan. The BLM will work collaboratively with 
interested parties to identify the management decisions that are best 
suited to local, regional, and national needs and concerns.
    The BLM will use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the plan 
amendment in order to consider the variety of resource issues and 
concerns identified. Specialists with expertise in the following 
disciplines will be involved in the planning process: rangeland 
management, minerals and geology, outdoor recreation, archaeology, 
paleontology, wildlife and fisheries, lands and realty, hydrology, 
soils, and sociology and economics.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 43 CFR 1610.2

Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, California.
[FR Doc. 2012-22939 Filed 9-17-12; 8:45 am]
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